I was a kid in the 70's but I can tell you how much I Loved the Ford Pinto my dad bought after years of owning Beetles for one major reason. There was actually heat in a car for the first time in my life.
@@briansquire8825 I would imagine that at least some of them had to have worked. I think the one my cousin had did, but I will have to ask her about it.
@@thehopelesscarguy The only heaters in the beetles that worked in cold weather was the ones that had Gas heaters, they burned more gas than the Engines! Every body that owned a beetle also owned a window Scraper and a Good warn jacket!
@@mylanmiller9656 I agree with you my mom had both of these cars. We lived in the midwest. Froze my butt in the bug. Was glad when my mom got the Pinto.
I drove a Pinto as a messenger for a small bank chain in 1976. The 4 speeds were not bad. Must have driven at least 50 miles per day. My old girlfriend had an automatic '76 Pinto & it was VERY SLOW, almost dangerously so, getting on the freeway was almost like taking your life in your hands. I had an '86 4 cylinder Mustang and the 2.3 liter engine was quite good. Plenty of torque. Only complaint was the stock radiator which was only as thick as my thumb. After a trip in which I overheated returning from Utah I had a V8 size radiator installed & that solved the problem, no more overheating. If you take a look @ the Burr trail switchbacks in Utah, once I had the larger radiator I took the 4 cylinder Mustang down to the bottom & back to the top again. Was running almost hot climbing back up BUT I made it!!
I had a ‘74 Pinto wagon. Converted into a Camper [ complete with 110 electric outlets, mini, gravity fed sink, wit water “tank “ made out of PVC pipe, mini refrigerator, 12 inch TV, and an electric fan. I cut a hole on the inside of the back hatch, so I could open it from the inside. I used contact paper on the back windows and cut out smaller Diamond shapes for “ windows “ . I made wood framed screens for the pop-out windows, and passenger side door window. ( the roof rack was partially used for the water tank, and storage. - additional storage, under rear seat flap, with seating removed.) TOMMY, my cat, and I traveled the US for about 3 years in it, working in Ocean City MD, and Eureka Springs Arkansas in summer, and Florida in winters. 📻😁‼️
We had a few Pintos in the family. Had a 73 wagon, with an automatic, and with good snow grips, and 3 bags of sand in the back was unstoppable in the snow. Also had a 74 hatch back, 2.3 4spd, and a wind open sunroof. Both were fairly reliable. Still have a soft spot for them
Great video! The Pinto, despite the scandal, was a good car. My parents each had a Pinto and later I did too. I also owned a Chevy Monza. It's funny, I'm old enough to actually have driven most of these cars and can relate to a lot of what you said.
I ordered a 1980 Ford Pinto Wagon for my Mom. Dark Brown with the 2.3 and the 4 Speed, Air Conditioning, Power Steering and Front Disc Brakes. I have 4 Brothers and ALL of us drove this car on and off for 10 Years. Reliable and roomy. Best of the Sub Compacts at the time...
Our family car in the 70’s was a Pinto. I didn’t know it was a piece of crap because it was our only car. I was amazed when I grew up and bought my own first car and it had adjustable seats on the passenger side too! We were a happy family because we didn’t have people telling us we were poor, so we didn’t know or care.
My first Pinto had dual adjustable seat but the drivers one was broken so I swapped them. This created a problem as the lever rubbed the center hump so I raised the seats using lug nuts as spacers and this made the car much more comfortable to drive.
@@BuzzLOLOL But at least Buzz you could slap on a new belt. Check and set the timing and you were off again. Unlike today's zero engines that grenade themselves.
@@thehopelesscarguy I had a 2006 Ranger that had 170000 on the original engine(3 liter 6), but it was rear-ended and totaled. I now have a Nissan Frontier as Ford was not selling Rangers in 2017. (The new 2019 Ranger has a turbo-charged engine which I do not trust).
@@pattyeverett2826 I had a Nissan pickup back in '95, it was a good truck before it lost a fight with a deer. I'm not a fan of the turbo for long term durability either.
I love looking for mistakes in videos like this, since 99% of them make horrible mistakes or completely omit, don't know, or forget facts from the competition, but this video is a pure GEM. Everything is covered here. Super accurate and actually truly educational. Rock on!
The only note I'd have given is the body-style timeline. The trunked fastback coupe (always referred to by Ford as a 2-door sedan) was the only one offered at 1971 new-car intro time in fall '70. The hatchback (Runabout), part of the original design program, followed a few months later in early calendar '71. The wagon didn't appear until early spring '72 as a mid-'72 launch, presumably after a crash program to match the Chevy Vega in a segment (station wagons) that Ford historically dominated.
Thanks, I'm not sure how that could have happened. When I go through to edit my hour long ramble into something coherent I can post, I often wonder if I'm even aware of what I'm saying.
It is an excellent video in many ways. The only mistake I spotted has to do the the AMC Gremlin. When they first offered a 4 cylinder engine it was not a GM engine, but a crummy VW / Audi engine licensed to be built by AMC.
I bought a new 71 Pinto runabout in early 1971. I got the optional 2 liter engine (50 bucks) and the Luxury Decor Option, with knit vinyl seats and some chrome. I put over 160000 miles on it, then sold it to a friend. The only things I had to replace were the clutch(once), brakes(several times), u-joints(once) and timing belt(several times). It only broke down once, in 1979 when the timing belt broke (that one had over 60000 miles). I pulled over to the side of the road, diagnosed the problem, crossed the street and hitch hiked to the closet Ford dealer. I got a new belt, and hitch hiked back to the car. After getting the belt back on I was on my way. Took a total of about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
I had a friend who was given his aunt's Pinto wagon when she had to stop driving. It was a standard and the gas tank was in a safe spot. He drove it for years.
Pinto was|is a fantastic car. If you look at the race pedigree of all the cars you mentioned the Pinto is by bar and away the KING of motorsports, my first car was a 74 Pinto, I have owned many Pinto's, and at 58 I still own a very nice 71 Pinto.
I bought an '80 Pinto Pony 2.3 4 speed in '87 after I joined the Navy.. After a rod froze and caused the cam to be eaten up, I traded the head for a lightly used Mustang SVO head, an Isky cam and dual Weber side drafts with a modified intake, a Borg Warner 5 speed and 3.73 rear (from the same SVO) and 4/2 headers with 2.5 inch pipes and Cherry Bomb "mufflers".. I ended up with 240 HP and still got 27MPG.. I loved that car. Had it until it got hit by a pizza driver in '98 and totalled.
That was an issue with the hydraulic lifters that started with the 2.3L. If the car sat too long, or you waited too long between oil changes, etc. one or more lifters would "freeze up" and take out the lifter(s), followers and the cam. Fortunately, the cam came out the front, though to do it all "right" you'd need to take off the head. I still have a Hedman Header for the 2.3L in storage that was never installed in a car.
@@Jackalski57 I was lucky. The mechanic had an SVO that the owner didn't want to pay for the repairs, and was curious to see what he could do to a Pinto.. started with just the head, then found out that the transmission and rear wouldn't take the strain, the rest was history... fun fun history.
I remember 1975 well. I was 12 years old and my father purchased a brand new, white 2 door Pinto Mpg with tan vinyl interior from S & C Ford in San Francisco. MSRP was $3995! Drove that car through high school.
I had a Pinro with the 2.0L engine in the early 80s, and drove most of those other vehicles shown, during my 70s teen years. The pinto was great on gas, and it was under $0.50 A gallon back then. This great videos brought back some great memories. Thanks
Had a 71 . Worked at a auto shop. Put a beefy cam, dual webers, and 4 into 1 header pipe. Then beefed up the clutch. At just under 2000 lbs this car screamed. I would love to have her now.
I still have my book on How to Hotrod Your 2.0L OHC Ford, which I did. Those cars and engines were easy to work on with lots of aftermarket parts. Put on some wider tires and slotted wheels under those wide fenders and it looked pretty cool. But I still gotta give props to the Datsun 510 (which wasn't even mentioned).
@@thehopelesscarguy MSRP in 1971 was $1990, so pretty close. Granted, 10 years later when I was buying one of each the Datsun was about twice the cost of a Pinto.
i had a 1972 pinto runabout hatchback (no trunk), 2 liter with c4 automatic and it was a great little car. i did the modifications needed to prevent the fuel tank from being punctured in a rear collision and always felt safe driving it, although it was not very good in the snow or on ice.. the rear end was a little light. but it was extremely reliable and always got 20-25mpg. eventually the engine wore out with over 300k miles on it, i couldn't find another 2 liter engine for it and didn't want to overhaul the old one so i sold it to a guy who wanted the front suspension for a street rod project. sometimes i wish i had held onto it, it was a simple basic car that was very easy to work on.
How I remember from my childhood the days of Pintos (my older brother’s was baby blue), the Vega (one of my friend’s mom had an orange one), VW Bugs (Dad’s was red, brother’s was tan) & Gremlins (didn’t personally know any owners). Nice video.
In 1976, my mum bought a brand new Mercury Bobcat from her local dealership in Toronto. But this wasn't any ordinary Bobcat - it was a rare "sport" edition called the "Super Bobcat!!" Oh yeah! My mum's 1976 Mercury had earth shattering features like a V6 engine, race car steering wheel and a sun roof!! Actually, she drove that car until 1985. The only big issue she had with the Bobcat was shortly after she bought it - she was driving on the highway and the engine stalled while she was doing like 90km/hr! She had it towed back to the dealership and they said there was some defect with the carburetor, and it was still under warranty so they fixed it free of charge. After that, she never had any more problems with it. Finally, in late 1985 (when she found out she was pregnant with ME), she got rid of the Bobcat for a larger family sedan - and that larger sedan was.........the 1983 MERCURY ZEPHYR!!! ...with the inline straight 6!
I'm sure it seemed like an upgrade at the time, but in retrospect it probably wasn't. Still, I've seen worse trade ins. I had a neighbor that traded his '69 Daytona for a new Thunderbird Super Coupe in '89.
Wow, the Mercury version of the Fairmont. Too bad you were just a babe, or you could have hooked her up with Esslinger Engineering's straight six performance goodies. At least it was reliable. Lowest cranking amps needed to turn over that engine and you couldn't kill the straight sixes!
@@Jackalski57 Yes sir! And my grandfather (my dad's father), had the Ford Fairmont at the same time mum had the Zephyr. I remember the Fairmont was white with lime green pint stripes, the Zephyr was red with white pint stripes - both 4 door, and both with the straight 6. And I can tell you first hand, the Zephyr took a BEATING! That car went from Toronto to Newfoundland and back TWICE, back and forth a few times from Toronto to Quebec, all up north on rugged roads in northern Ontario in the cottage country, plus the regular daily commutes. She had the Mercury Zephyr from '86 - '97, but in it's last couple of years, she didn't run so well! By that time, it was all rusted and rotted out and it couldn't even make it to the end of the street without stalling... if my poor mother was even able to get it started!! I tell ya, my mum ran that Zephyr right into it's grave! But it was a good little car in it's time.
Your knowledge of American automotive history is truly apparent, and refreshingly informative. Keep it up, the youtube algorithm will catch up to your content quality!
Loved the Pinto and owned many different ones. Thanks for all the detailed sales information. I started out with a 72 Runabout with the 1.6 liter engine. Not a real goer. Our family soon added another 72 Runabout that was a 2 liter with a manual transmission. That one was a little rocket and eventually ended up in my brothers hands. I ended up putting a V8 in the first one which was involved in an accident that destroyed the body (fortunately no fire), which put me on a search for a new body. That led to 72 Station wagon with a blown motor, which was perfect for the V8 drive train removed from the wreck. I then purchased my first new car, a 78 Pinto sedan which had nearly every option except air. That was a V6 model. A few years later my then wife and I would purchase a 77 wagon, then we got another , a 78 Cruising Wagon. Had another 3 Pinto beaters that were used for just getting around that ended up in other folks hands. When you get used to servicing a specific vehicle and know the ins and outs it becomes easy to stick with it. They were easy to work on and fun to drive. However owning one now would be more nostalgic and difficult to maintain.
Some people say it is best to stick with what you know, which seems reasonable. And the Pinto could be quite the performer when done right. I wouldn't go out of my way to buy another Pinto but I wouldn't be against owning another one. And I do have a 5.0 Ford in my garage with no plans.
I had two Pintos...a '73, non-hatchback, shocking purple, the small 1600 motor, slot mags, hooker header and twin weber carbs, Indy tires...a real nice running and looking car, the second a stock '77...both really good cars
What I remember most about the 71 Pinto that I bought new was that it's lack of arm rest/door pulls caused me to replace a couple of latch handles that broke off because the driver's door had to be slammed to get it to latch properly (I could had adjusted the striker-duh). Also, it was extremely hard to start in the winter (should have installed an engine heater). What I liked about it was that it would cruise at 75 mph down the interstate on my daily 50 mile drive to work with no problem. Overall, I thought that it was OK and I liked its looks (a yellow hatchback, 2 liter automatic)
The 1977 & 1978 Ford Pintos had a front-end which looked rather sporty, and I really like the 3-door models from those years! Although the Ford Pinto was described as unsafe, it has been said that the models built from 1977 through 1980 are "safe".
The front styling from those years were better looking then the early ones for sure and I always thought the hatchback looked kinda like a AMX from certain angles. I knew a guy that rear ended a pinto in a Chevy pickup with saddle tanks and neither vehicle exploded and I've seen a Volvo catch fire in a collision so luck seems to play a big part in "safe".
Of the "thousands" that supposedly died in Pinto fires the NHTSA investigation revealed that 27 people actually died. Given the cars production numbers which was over 2 million, the Pinto was no more fire prone than any other car of the time and had a better rate than cars like the Datsun 1200 and the Toyota Corolla. The placement of the gas tank was commonplace at the time in many cars.
Wow, your coverage of this subject was very complete & well informed. This is the 1st episode I have seen on your channel, and I am a new sub. And including the Plymouth Cricket, and knowing it was the Hillman Avenger, really shows in-depth knowledge. If you should cover imports from before the 70's, there were even more, like the Ford Cortina, Simcas, Renaults, Opels at Buick dealerships, Fiat, etc.....
Thank you. I have mentioned the Buick Opels in a couple of videos. My experience with the Ford Cortina is limited to nearly giving myself whiplash seeing one driving around town. I find old Simcas interesting, but have never seen one in person.
It's amazing how much influence the pinto had! It's front suspension and steering would fuel a cottage industry for hot rods for decades (and still does) and the 4 cylinder engine would influence the Ranger pick up years later.
I've owned two 1972 Pintos. First was a loaded brand new Runabout that I got as a hand me down from my parents. Loved that Pinto. After I sold my first 72 in 1981, I returned to the scene of the crime and bought another 72 Pinto in 1983. Drove it til 1990 when I sold it to the same person I sold my first Pinto to. I really miss my Pinto. My second Pinto also a Runabout was a strippo model. I put seats from a 1982 Mustang in it, which raised the seat level to a much better position, also giving me reclining seats as well. New carpeting with sound deadner made it a very quiet car. Painted it Dove Gray, a late seventies Ford color, This color has made come back on Fords, Kias, Hondas, Dodge and other cars using slightly different shades and names. So it would look fairly modern on the road today. Added a console from a Mustang II, newer door panels and a steering wheel from a1976 Mercury Cougar. My only regret was selling it. I have discovered that finding a four leaf clover is easier to find then a Pinto. Nit because it's a bad car, but back then they were considered a disposable car.
I had 74 Pinto, this baby had the 1600cc with a 4 speed manual, a single barrel carburetor which put out an earth shattering 74 horsepower, a true gutless wonder! Great gas mileage though. With today's speed limits on the interstates, I think it would be a bad idea for highway traffic.
@@captainkirk4514 Are you sure yours was a '74? If memory serves, the standard engine for that year was the 2.0L four (which my '74 had, along with the 4-speed). I'll agree with you that these cars weren't suited for modern interstate speeds. On my trips between home (southern CA) and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, mine couldn't even crack 50 mph up the Grapevine - and that required dropping into third.
I do believe '73 was the last model year with the 1.6 but in those days many states registered vehicles by sale date instead of model year which has created many arguments over the years over what is what.
@@thehopelesscarguy Yes, that is true, but the car was produced at the beginning of the 1974 model year, sometimes manufacturers will use leftover engines and transmissions from the previous model year that are no longer in production to get rid of them, so essentially, my Pinto was a 74, but the engine and transmission were from the 73 model year.
Like what years im curious because im trying to find info on a small batch of mercury Bobcats that had a unique blue that was only on 424 of them in 1980 the last model year for the car. You remember anything on them like the color description or at least a place too find a add campaign they had for it so i can figure out the color name anything like that would be huge for me
@@brendanliamgill99 ....There was a decal inside the drivers side door jam that had the color code for that cars color. I sure wish I can help you more but I worked on the main line(finish line), we had to read manifests that corresponded to the car number. Every day the number begins with 1 and ended with something like 490 or 500. That's how many cars that the shift put out for the day. Maybe someone who worked in the paint shop or the body shop will see and read this message and can help you better than I can and provide you some better information.........Good luck.
@@brendanliamgill99 ........Hello, it's me again. I was thinking and for that year I remember they made a run of Pintos for that year of approximately 5000 cars for the U.S. Postal service that had a special color to them. Maybe you have one of them or are you sure it's a Mercury Bobcat.
My first car was a 1972 Pinto with the 2 liter motor, automatic. A bunch of little things went wrong with it, but I loved it. It was quick, would lay rubber and handled well. Wish I still had it. My brother drove a 64 Beetle. I drove his car from time to time. When I got back in my Pinto, it felt like I was driving a Cadillac.
My parents' '74 Pinto wagon was my first favorite car. To this day, I'm a Ford man in part because of it. Looking back now, the Pinto was at least remarkable in the fact that it was for sale in the mid '70s, and it wasn't super ugly. You name just about any car from that time... fugly.
The 2 liter Pinto engine was one of the easiest engines I've ever had to work on. The cast iron block was practically indestructible, and most everything on the engine was accessible. The down side was, its reliability was such that I had to work on it much too often. When my job was transferred from California to Tucson in '93, I had a '73 Pinto Runabout that had been resurrected from sitting in a yard for years. It had the vinyl roof that was dry-rotting away, and I restored it to running condition with an assortment of junkyard parts (including seatbelts from a Honda, because I absolutely hated the shoulder harness buckles the Pintos came with at that time). We dubbed it "Frankenstein's Pinto," and that car made the drive between Tucson and the Hesperia area of California almost every weekend for some eight months. Some of the looks I received from other drivers on I-10 were hilarious.
Informative documentary on this icon of the '70s! My family had owned Datsuns, from the early-1960s to the late-'70s; the early ones were small and narrow, until the 510 came out (we had three of these). They seemed pretty reliable, but tended to eat water pumps...We also had a used 1972 Vega "Kammback" for 3-1/2 years; it was burning oil copiously, even at 60K miles, and the rust around the windshield frame let water into the front footwells. Fortunately, since it was a silver example, duct tape sealed up the rust holes quite nicely, and it matched the paint! I knew two college students who each had moss-green 1974 Pintos; seemed to be reliable transportation for them.
@@thehopelesscarguy Yep; my Grand-dad had one of the earliest Datsun dealerships on the East Coast, in Washington, D.C. (where I grew up)...some of the old Datsun slogans I recall were "Drive a Datsun, Then Decide", and "Datsun Saves" (ca. the oil embargo of 1973-74).
myself and my co-workers (ironically worked at a gas station) witnessed a rear ended Pinto fire. We ran with fire extinguishers, nothing could be done, the Pinto and it's occupants were fully engulfed. The scene haunted us, even to this day, I sometimes think of the horror.
I have seen more than my share of horrific crashes. Some have been more gruesome than can ever be described in words, but the hardest to see is people trapped and panicking.
The Pinto was a real show stopper... Driving about in the station wagon model with the simulated wood grain was not just about being king of the road, or impressing the ladies... you could cram all of your friends in there and head out to a Meatloaf Concert... or a fish fry... I miss these bad ass Fords...
Exam week in college wouldn't have been the same without stuffing as many people in my Pinto Wagon as possible and making a 1am run to the diner for greaseburgers.
@@fatalbert6220 Sounds like you got a few stories on that trip... Any Lynyrd Skynyrd Concert around that time would have been a once in a lifetime experience for most folks... If you like Gibson Guitars like I like Gibson Guitars, Lynyrd Skynyrd had it all... And you were riding the future, Tesla won't admit it, but anyone can see that the Tesla Model 3 looks like the Pinto...
now that is a car to miss ! most people don't really miss selling a Pinto ! I had a v8 vega and had fun but I used it and got rid of it , don't miss it I used it for all it was worth , the car I miss is my first car , a 1967 firebird ! I restored it in the 80's then sold it ( like a dummy ) then saw it two weeks later TOTALLED ! I just about cried , took me two years to restore it ! I miss that car !
The Pinto was a great economical car and not really anymore dangerous in a crash than comparable cars of the time. Deaths per mile driven were actually slightly lower than other models.
I think Pintos were often driven to death, but that was kind of the point of them. It wasn't the car you kept in the garage with low miles, you used it.
The 2.8 liter V6 was first offered in the Pinto in 1975, I bought one brand new that year. It did reduce gas mileage, but allowed it to accelerate to highway speeds and cruise effortlessly. The mileage was still better than larger, heavier cars of the time. The seats were improved as of 1974, you no longer felt like you were sitting on the ground. You are right, they were not great cars, but they were "less bad" than a lot of their competition. People joke about the Pinto, but I was very proud to buy a brand new car with my own money at the age of sixteen. I still think that a V6 Pinto was the best new car choice that I could have made within my budget at that time. Good video.
Thanks. I can't imagine a very high percent sold with the V-6 as I have been around lots of Pintos and never seen one, and I've seen at least a dozen with V-8s swapped in them.
@@thehopelesscarguy The brochures of the time said that the V6 was only available in the Runabout (hatchback) or wagon, but it was not accurate. Mine was a two door sedan. Over the years I've seen two other 75 sedans with factory V6s, a couple of wagons, and one runabout. They are rare. It really was a cool car for a teenager.
@@michaellowe17 It was the mid-70s when they started restricting special orders for dealers, before that the factory would do almost anything you asked for.
7:49 My mom had a 1976 Pinto Wagon just like that except it was yellow. I miss that little car. It got us back and forth from New Mexico to Florida to visit my paternal grandmother many times without a single hickup. I wish I could find one today. I myself used to own a Mercury Bobcat but the engine blew, (Not quality fault, previous owner just never took care of it.) When I went to rebuild the engine, every piston had the piston skirts broken.
The Pinto? I remember seeing more Mavericks on the road where I grew up! I didn't get why the Maverick was so popular. The thing was shaped like a "duck" on wheels!
@@thehopelesscarguy People told themselves the Maverick was a coupé and that's was make you look sporty and young. Well, it looked ways better than a 2-door three box sedan.
We had several including a Bobcat. None of the ever caught fire. One of them burned oil so fast that we would "fill the oil and check the gas". It never failed to start, unlike other makes that we had.
Holy moly my friend you know your stuff and deliver it well. A little bit of investment in the some Hd camera and stuff like that and this channel is gonna fly off like a rocket. Keep up the good work!!!
Picked up a '70 Yellow 2 door in October of that year about a month after introduction. My 1st new car & I bought it for my 20th birthday. Drove it from Los Angeles to Vancouver BC without a care, put a cassette deck in the glove box, got great gas mileage for the day and cornered pretty well for those narrow little tires. Traded it in on a new '75 Civic. Wished I hadn't done that then and feel pretty much the same way now. Fine little car.
I don't remember every driving mine in the snow, but light rear-wheel-drive with skinny tires isn't a recommended winter combination. Many were sacrificed for street rods.
I have fond memories of my mothers 72 Pinto wagon. It was a good car but not a great car. Much better than a Vega. But when I bought my own first car at the same time I compared the Pinto, Vega, and a Toyota Corona. I bought the Toyota because it was far better equipped than the others, made much better, quicker, and quieter. Its one failure was the handling that was easily taken care of by replacing the skinny 5.60-13 inch bias ply tires with a good set of 175-13 Radial tires, wider wheels from a Corvair, and a good set of shocks. The handling improvement was dramatic and I embarrassed more than a few sporty cars and out and out sports cars. To my amazement, the steering which was heavy with the OEM tires, became remarkably light with the wider radial tires. I have owned Toyota's many times over the years and have yet to be disappointed.
1977 Pinto with an 8 track and a crank sunroof was my first new car! I was so proud of it. The Ford of England derived 2300 motor proved very reliable. I drove it for ten years and handed it off to my brother and he drove it for several more years. It squeaked and rattled and clunked but it always ran. Mileage wasn't bad as it was a manual stick. I use to drift it even. Vega's were overheating all around the reliable Pinto.
My mother had one. It was my grandfather’s car and my parents bought it from my grandmother on my father’s side of family. It was a brown one with tan interior. It was a 2 door coupe or hatchback. I remembered climbing all the way back in the car with my sister. Luckily my mother never been in an accident in it.
Great video, I appreciate the context regarding the other cars in the segment it really helps to put in perspective how many were sold footage is great too
I have heard numbers as high as 50 or slightly higher with burn injures closer to 200 but I believe the number stated in the lawsuit against Ford stated 27.
I bought a brand new '72 Pinto Runabout. LOVED that car, the only one I ever had that I wish I still had. It was a great car! Looked good, totally dependable, fun to drive, extremely economical. Comfortable ride, considering it's size. I drove it cross-country several times. I liked it so much, I later bought a used 1980 Pinto wagon - it was also a fantastic car, though I much preferred the looks of the original.
Great video, I forgot about many of those cars! I learned to drive on my mom's 72 pinto, olive green, shag carpet. My first car was a Datsun 610, then saved up and got a Datsun 280ZX w/ t-tops (I think I saw both pics). I still remember which cars all my high school friends had.
To be fair, many of those cars are forgettable. Not a lot of people get passionate about subcompacts, but there are a few, and many of us grew up around them.
Enjoyed your content. I bought a new Pinto in 1974 when I went into the service. I think I payed $1800 for it, new. I put 30K miles on it in a year and had to pull the transmission and put a clutch in it because I just had to try and burn rubber all the time in it! Interestingly enough, I used to drive 400 miles home some weekends during the gas shortage when you couldn't buy gas on Sundays (all stations were closed). Guess what I did? Carried a 5 gallon gas tank in the back seat full of gas so I would have enough gas to get back to the military base on Sunday nights. Guess the Good Lord was watching out for me!
My mother had a 1972 Pinto hatchback, yellow with black interior. My sister took that car to college. By the time I took driver training in 1976 I trained in the Datsun B-210, which I loved. I borrowed the Pinto to take my driving test. I loved both cars, they were easy to drive. Plus, I was only 5’3” but could see easily out of both cars. I fell in love with the Toyota? Versa Note after renting one a few years ago, but they were hard to find. It was the only car that fit me in the same way the two 1970s car did. Eventually I bought a 2017 Ford Fiesta which is not as comfy or view-friendly as the other three, but I really like it. Except for my brief foray toward the Versa Note, I’ve been a Ford gal all my life, thanks to that sunny yellow Pinto. But I didn’t know about the gas tank problem until many years later.
Few modern cars are view friendly. With cameras replacing all the mirrors perhaps the wind screen should be replaced by a view screen. Sounds like what you need is one of those big old cars with the power seat that goes up forever and the tilt/telescopic steering.
My parents had a blue Mercury Bobcat,my mom picked up my friend and I from school one day and reverse did not work.She drove forward across the lawn.I believe early on it leaked oil.The driveway could verify that.It was an automatic and hatchback.
I enjoyed this video. Nice going. It might also be pointed out that the Ford Mustang II was really a Pinto II. If might be worth combining the production totals of the two together for a true measure of the cars importance in the 1970s. You make a good point - it is hard to remember that their weren't many really good small cars back then. The Rabbit/Golf was conceptually a good idea but not well executed. I think the Plymouth, Horizon was the first decent small car to come out of an American factory. I had a Plymouth Horizon, it was a good (enough) car - and one of the few acceptable small cars from a functional stand point. It had 4 doors, and enough room for passengers in the back. My brother had a Ford Fiesta - that car was a blast to drive. My parents had a mid-80s 2 door Honda Civic, and that too was a blast to drive - but it I remember correctly, it had an interference engine and the timing belt broke for whatever reason, and the car turned out to be a a disaster. Later I had a 1988 Honda CRX-HF and that was, by far and away, the best car I have ever owned. Its styling still looks contemporary and its more than 30 years old now.
Thanks. Well, yes the Mustang II was Pinto based, but in the same way the original Mustang was Falcon based and the "Fox body" Mustang 3 shared its platform with the Fairmont, and nearly every RWD Ford around 1980 (except the Panther platform LTD). By the late 70's the subcompact market was much different and even smaller. The Rabbit, the Chevette, the Omni/Horizon, the Datsun F-10. While the Corolla and 210 had grown to more Pinto like proportions. But, was Mazdas GLC really a "Good Little Car"? I know someone that still has their early CRX and still uses it as a daily driver. Unfortunately the original alloy wheels started to show stress cracks and the cheap alloys on it now don't do it justice.
Our first car was a 1976 Pinto Squire wagon. We bought it 1 year old from a friend, a Ford service manager who had factory ordered it new. We kept it 18 years until it as stolen(!) and never recovered. 1976 was arguably the best model year, with a whopping 88 horsepower. The rear hatch opening of 48.5" allowed us to carry plywood and drywall, hanging either over the rear bumper and using bungie cords to tie down the hatch. Worked great! Our only scary moment came when the timing belt snapped at 40K miles, at night in the rain on the freeway, of course, with my wife driving and with me on the opposite coast on a business trip. Non-interference engine, $35 repair (1980 dollars). Those were the days. :) Rear seat accommodations were dreadful, but adequate for smallish people. We subsequently bought a new 1988 Dodge Aries K wagon, which was a considerable upgrade in many ways, and which shared the Pinto's endearing >48" rear hatch opening. That car lasted 22 years through two subsequent owners, until some idiot snagged the front bumper and pulled the whole front end off the car. It was repairable and still driveable, but my friend couldn't get the headlights to align to DMV's satisfaction, so he donated it to charity.
@@thehopelesscarguy I had fun when the Pinto got stolen from a local park-and-ride lot. I had bought a new 1989 Dodge Spirit a couple of years earlier, and I drove my carpool buddies in it. 1) When the Sheriff came by to take my theft report, he made me put down $200 for the value, even though I told him $100, because of the cracked windscreen, peeling paint, leaky steering rack, and passenger door that would not close all the way because of a rear-end collision. 2) Since we all used park-and-ride lots, I mentioned the car theft to one of my buddies, letting him assume the Spirt had been stolen. When I finally stopped leading him on and told him the Pinto had been stolen, he was in total shock. I strongly suspect and hope that the Pinto was driven into Mexico, because my worst fear was that it would be recovered and I would be stuck with impound fees exceeding its vanishingly small value. When I was on jury duty a couple of years later, fully 1/3 of the prospective jury panelists said that they had been victims of car theft, which was rampant in San Diego County in the 1980s-1990s.
@@johne6081 I have had to deal with impound fees exceeding the value of the vehicle, not fun. Wow, 1/3. I didn't drive when I was stationed in San Diego (personal vehicles that is), that seems like a wise choice now.
After learning to drive in a Maverick, my first owned three cars were Pintos (1979 - 1986).. The best was a wagon that took my family everywhere and a hatchback V6 that had quite the power for such a light car. I loved them but in the late 80's had to move on to newer models. It is sad that all that can be remembered now is the stupid gas tank.
Great video on the historical Pinto! I remember Sabrina Duncan drove an orange one on Charlie’s Angels. My first car was a ‘78 Mustang II Ghia in that same orange. Everyone in high school thought it was a Pinto so I pained it black.
@@thehopelesscarguy My aunt also had a brown Pinto wagon, I believe with plaid seats. I was around 10. She was one of the first LAPD female sheriffs and she’d drive that POS around with a stick shift cursing like a truck driver.
I loved my Pinto. I had a 1973 Ford Pinto Runabout. Monster Green with a white vinyl top and wide BF Goodrich tires. It was one awesome looking little car.
I had a 73 Pinto wagon in Ginger Metallic. I did the research and put the widest tires that would fit correctly on the stock steel rims, which were 195/70/13 BF Goodrich Radial TAs, if I remember correctly. I may even have the receipt from back then, lol. Combined with the standard rack and pinion steering, which I don't remember being touched on in the video, by the way, it handled beautifully!
I had a ‘72 Pinto, & loved it. I worked with a girl who traded her VW in for a Gremlin cause her boyfriend said it was a much better car than the Pinto. After about 6 mos. she got rid of her Gremlin as she had a lot of problems with it. She ended up with some used car. I felt bad for her...
Although this was a very good video, the one (1) error you made came at 3:21, where you stated that the 2.0 litre (122 cid) in-line four cylinder engine had a 'ten year run.' That motor was offered in the Pinto from 1971-1974. In its last year, the now legendary 2.3 litre (140 cid) in-line four became the top engine choice; replacing the 2.0 altogether in 1975. Then at mid-year, the 2.8 litre (170 cid) V6 from the Mercury Capri would become the top engine choice, but the 2.3 would gain a turbo and would be fitted in the 1983-1986 Ford Thunderbird/Mercury Cougar XR-7 coupes. Otherwise, great video! 📹! 🐰
Indeed, I was looking for this comment, figuring someone else would have made it. The 2.3L OHC is based off the German designed 2.0L OHC, but both the bore and stroke were increased a bit. They had the same firing order and direction of rotation of the distributer, which was opposite that of the 1.6L Kent OHV engine. The 2.3L gained hydraulic lifters. When I adjusted the valves on my 73 at 75,000 or so miles, I found the cam lobes were very smoothly polished, partly because the 2.0L had an oil distribution pipe that sprayed oil from above onto the cam. That was lacking in the 2.3L. They both also used the Holley/Weber 5200 2bbl carb. Funny thing is that the distributer cap on the 2.0 and I think the 2.3 was the same as that of the Beetle, as they both shared Bosch ignition systems. Well, distributors anyway.
i had a 1971 ford pinto, the first year of production. with a low production number. i purchased it used in 1989 for $400.00, and it was in excellent condition. i must say it was a very reliable car as long as you know how to work on cars, just general maintenance. i sold it in 2012 for $1,250. there are a lot of vehicles that also explode if you hit them in the correct area. but you dont hear about them. like with any other vehicle, if you do not maintain them they will fail.
I turned a profit on both my Pintos as well. Maintenance is key, something manufacturers seem to be forgetting, increasingly creating a need for specialized tools for even simple repairs.
At one time we had 3 Pintos and a Mustang 2 at the same time. The first was a 74 that Dad bought in 12/73. This was my car. Being a hatchback with a 4 speed manual it was a daily driver I could use to haul all kinds of stuff in it like a truck. I eventually moved on to a Datsun 240Z and gave the Pinto back to Dad who put 140k miles on it. He sold it for $300 less than he paid for it. It was a great little car for it's time and great value
I have owned 3 of them. A 71 1.6l hatch, with a manual sunroof, a 74 squire wagon 2.0 auto, and a 75 wagon 2.3 4 speed. All had their issues, but always got me from A to B without ever leaving me stranded.
My first car was a 1976 Ford Pinto, cost me $400 in 1985. I did my own oil changes and tune ups.. It was a great car. Rear Wheel Drive. Manual Transmission. A wonderful combination for an engaging drive versus front wheel drive with an automatic. Had a hatchback, which for some reason Americans do not like, which offered awesome storage space. I drove it from SF to LA every two weeks for a year. Never broke down. Got over 30 mpg. I rolled it in the desert wearing just a lap belt (no shoulder belt in the car). The car did not explode nor catch fire. I was taken to a hospital and examined and walked out with just a pulled muscle. Car had rolled end over end twice and over sideways once. I went out and bought another Pinto for $425. For the time period, it was a great car, you just needed to look underneath it to make sure the fix was done by the recall. Now a 9 year old car cost $4000 not $400.
I bought a new pinto in 1979. By then all the pet problems were worked through. I remember it was $3439; had no radio, and no one stocked the template to install a DIN radio. Even with a four-speed, it was among slowest off-the-line car in production. It was easy to keep fixed though, and usually got around 24 MPG. Years later I had that same model engine in 1994 Ranger. Fuel injection helped the engine last a lot longer, but it was still a dog power-wise. Like the pinto, I needed a running start to get up the driveway and some other hills. That was a long run for the 2.3 engine, as ford-mazda chose not to redesign the Ranger through year 2011. I understand the 2.3 was dropped around 1997
Looking back, the first model with the 1.6 liter Kent engine and a 4 speed would have been the ideal Pinto. That engine was very reliable and not having an automatic was essential!
That 1.6L Kent engine was the base for one of the Cosworths. The BDA, IF I remember correctly. I still have some of my Pinto manuals, though I think I got rid of my factory manuals back in the early 2000's.
The Pinto was a great little car. Edit: There's a reason other than the three you mentioned, and I think was the most important, that made the Pinto more susceptible to rear end collisions. The Pinto had the shortest stopping distance of most production cars, and the shortest of any production car in one year (including the Porsche 911). The fact that no car behind the Pinto could stop as fast made the Pinto more likely to be rear-ended than the others in its class.
@@thehopelesscarguy Lol, as if anyone knows what that is anymore. Come to think of it, inexpensive cars are generally piloted by less than average drivers who are more likely to panic stop. Beginning to make perfect sense.
Part of the recall was a vented gas cap, for a while the "tell" that a pre-'76 Pinto had the recall work done or not is that the originals had been painted body color, the recall replacements were chrome.
They were not exactly the same car. They shared a basic platform and therefore many mechanical parts. The biggest engines in the later Pintos were the smaller engines in the Mustang II. Just as the original Mustang shared its platform with the Falcon and the third generation Mustang shared its platform with the Fairmont.
My 72 Pinto (1600cc 4-speed) had the metal shielded gas tank that kept it from being ruptured by the rear diff & axle. We enjoyed our Pinto. I also had a 72 Gremlin badged as the P-38 not the "X" model with the 304ci V8 with 3 speed stick shift, it even had air-conditioning! It was fun to drive around the Arizona mountains.
I was a kid in the 70's but I can tell you how much I Loved the Ford Pinto my dad bought after years of owning Beetles for one major reason. There was actually heat in a car for the first time in my life.
There is a reason the Beetle was more popular in the south.
My beetle’s heater melted my shoe. Idk people say the heat didn’t work
@@briansquire8825 I would imagine that at least some of them had to have worked. I think the one my cousin had did, but I will have to ask her about it.
@@thehopelesscarguy
The only heaters in the beetles that worked in cold weather was the ones that had Gas heaters, they burned more gas than the Engines! Every body that owned a beetle also owned a window Scraper and a Good warn jacket!
@@mylanmiller9656 I agree with you my mom had both of these cars. We lived in the midwest. Froze my butt in the bug. Was glad when my mom got the Pinto.
I drove a Pinto as a messenger for a small bank chain in 1976. The 4 speeds were not bad. Must have driven at least 50 miles per day. My old girlfriend had an automatic '76 Pinto & it was VERY SLOW, almost dangerously so, getting on the freeway was almost like taking your life in your hands. I had an '86 4 cylinder Mustang and the 2.3 liter engine was quite good. Plenty of torque. Only complaint was the stock radiator which was only as thick as my thumb. After a trip in which I overheated returning from Utah I had a V8 size radiator installed & that solved the problem, no more overheating. If you take a look @ the Burr trail switchbacks in Utah, once I had the larger radiator I took the 4 cylinder Mustang down to the bottom & back to the top again. Was running almost hot climbing back up BUT I made it!!
I had a 79 Pinto, great car, wonderful time in my life
Nice to hear.
My first car in 1986 was a 79 Pinto. I was in highschool and it was a free car. That thing got us to the beach almost every day in the summer of 86.
Got one sitting on the side of my house.....
@@stall-u-rated1986 still runs?
I had a ‘74 Pinto wagon.
Converted into a Camper
[ complete with 110 electric outlets, mini, gravity fed sink, wit water “tank “ made out of PVC pipe, mini refrigerator, 12 inch TV, and an electric fan. I cut a hole on the inside of the back hatch, so I could open it from the inside.
I used contact paper on the back windows and cut out smaller Diamond shapes for “ windows “ . I made wood framed screens for the pop-out windows, and passenger side door window.
( the roof rack was partially used for the water tank, and storage. - additional storage, under rear seat flap, with seating removed.)
TOMMY, my cat, and I traveled the US for about 3 years in it, working in Ocean City MD, and Eureka Springs Arkansas in summer, and Florida in winters.
📻😁‼️
That is certainly not the average Pinto experience.
My first car was a '72, lemon yellow Pinto. I bought it at a yard sale for 50 bucks.
I presume you got your moneys worth out of it.
I learned to drive on a 71 pinto in Jan 72 with no drivers license. And it was a rental
@@rsprockets7846 I guess that is one way to do it.
My brother in law's nephew had a Pinto Runabout and he loved it
We had a few Pintos in the family. Had a 73 wagon, with an automatic, and with good snow grips, and 3 bags of sand in the back was unstoppable in the snow. Also had a 74 hatch back, 2.3 4spd, and a wind open sunroof. Both were fairly reliable. Still have a soft spot for them
Understood.
Great video! The Pinto, despite the scandal, was a good car. My parents each had a Pinto and later I did too. I also owned a Chevy Monza. It's funny, I'm old enough to actually have driven most of these cars and can relate to a lot of what you said.
It is interesting to see how a cars reputation can change over the years.
I ordered a 1980 Ford Pinto Wagon for my Mom. Dark Brown with the 2.3 and the 4 Speed, Air Conditioning, Power Steering and Front Disc Brakes. I have 4 Brothers and ALL of us drove this car on and off for 10 Years. Reliable and roomy. Best of the Sub Compacts at the time...
I did like the wagons.
Our family car in the 70’s was a Pinto. I didn’t know it was a piece of crap because it was our only car. I was amazed when I grew up and bought my own first car and it had adjustable seats on the passenger side too! We were a happy family because we didn’t have people telling us we were poor, so we didn’t know or care.
My first Pinto had dual adjustable seat but the drivers one was broken so I swapped them. This created a problem as the lever rubbed the center hump so I raised the seats using lug nuts as spacers and this made the car much more comfortable to drive.
They weren't bad cars except for the timing belt and rust...
@@BuzzLOLOL Neither of mine had rust issues.
very true
@@BuzzLOLOL But at least Buzz you could slap on a new belt. Check and set the timing and you were off again. Unlike today's zero engines that grenade themselves.
Never owned a Pinto, but did own a Ford Ranger with the 2.3 liter engine. Went over 200,000 miles. A good engine.
My Ranger has about 200,000 miles, but it is the 4.0 and is on its second engine.
@@thehopelesscarguy I had a 2006 Ranger that had 170000 on the original engine(3 liter 6), but it was rear-ended and totaled. I now have a Nissan Frontier as Ford was not selling Rangers in 2017. (The new 2019 Ranger has a turbo-charged engine which I do not trust).
@@pattyeverett2826 I had a Nissan pickup back in '95, it was a good truck before it lost a fight with a deer.
I'm not a fan of the turbo for long term durability either.
I love looking for mistakes in videos like this, since 99% of them make horrible mistakes or completely omit, don't know, or forget facts from the competition, but this video is a pure GEM. Everything is covered here. Super accurate and actually truly educational. Rock on!
The only note I'd have given is the body-style timeline. The trunked fastback coupe (always referred to by Ford as a 2-door sedan) was the only one offered at 1971 new-car intro time in fall '70. The hatchback (Runabout), part of the original design program, followed a few months later in early calendar '71. The wagon didn't appear until early spring '72 as a mid-'72 launch, presumably after a crash program to match the Chevy Vega in a segment (station wagons) that Ford historically dominated.
It is this kind of sharing that makes this channel worthwhile to me.
Thanks, I'm not sure how that could have happened. When I go through to edit my hour long ramble into something coherent I can post, I often wonder if I'm even aware of what I'm saying.
@@thehopelesscarguy Lol I`m the same way. :)
It is an excellent video in many ways. The only mistake I spotted has to do the the AMC Gremlin. When they first offered a 4 cylinder engine it was not a GM engine, but a crummy VW / Audi engine licensed to be built by AMC.
My dad had a 1980 pinto and put over 360,000 miles on it. My dad passed away and I drove it to work for a couple of years.
Thanks for sharing.
My first brand new car was a 1980 red Pinto. Sunroof, the works. Loved it and have great memories.
Very cool!
@@thehopelesscarguy I owned an 1980 pinto it was a great starter car. Never left me stranded on the road
I bought a new 71 Pinto runabout in early 1971. I got the optional 2 liter engine (50 bucks) and the Luxury Decor Option, with knit vinyl seats and some chrome. I put over 160000 miles on it, then sold it to a friend. The only things I had to replace were the clutch(once), brakes(several times), u-joints(once) and timing belt(several times). It only broke down once, in 1979 when the timing belt broke (that one had over 60000 miles). I pulled over to the side of the road, diagnosed the problem, crossed the street and hitch hiked to the closet Ford dealer. I got a new belt, and hitch hiked back to the car. After getting the belt back on I was on my way. Took a total of about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
A fairly major repair in 2 hours on the roadside is very much a thing of the past I think.
I had a friend who was given his aunt's Pinto wagon when she had to stop driving. It was a standard and the gas tank was in a safe spot. He drove it for years.
They did tend to stick around, whether you liked them or not.
@@thehopelesscarguy The wagons were the best, luggage space for four and better mileage
@@gertvanderhorst2890 I like the wagons.
Pinto was|is a fantastic car. If you look at the race pedigree of all the cars you mentioned the Pinto is by bar and away the KING of motorsports, my first car was a 74 Pinto, I have owned many Pinto's, and at 58 I still own a very nice 71 Pinto.
My friends Pinto was on Firestone 500 tires .......Great combo !
Puns aside, Ford and Firestone were married.
Yep, the tires that had a design flaw that killed many. Imagine if he had a blowout, hit the breaks, then got rear ended and blew up.
@@boataxe4605 Never had issues with Firestone tires. But I keep watch on my tires.
Yep, I Gave My Ex a Pinto with a Set of Firestone Tires, As an Anniversary Gift !!
I bought an '80 Pinto Pony 2.3 4 speed in '87 after I joined the Navy.. After a rod froze and caused the cam to be eaten up, I traded the head for a lightly used Mustang SVO head, an Isky cam and dual Weber side drafts with a modified intake, a Borg Warner 5 speed and 3.73 rear (from the same SVO) and 4/2 headers with 2.5 inch pipes and Cherry Bomb "mufflers".. I ended up with 240 HP and still got 27MPG.. I loved that car. Had it until it got hit by a pizza driver in '98 and totalled.
Making lemonade.
That was an issue with the hydraulic lifters that started with the 2.3L. If the car sat too long, or you waited too long between oil changes, etc. one or more lifters would "freeze up" and take out the lifter(s), followers and the cam. Fortunately, the cam came out the front, though to do it all "right" you'd need to take off the head. I still have a Hedman Header for the 2.3L in storage that was never installed in a car.
@@Jackalski57 I was lucky. The mechanic had an SVO that the owner didn't want to pay for the repairs, and was curious to see what he could do to a Pinto.. started with just the head, then found out that the transmission and rear wouldn't take the strain, the rest was history... fun fun history.
@@Jackalski57 Seems I recall the Toyota 3.0 having a similar issue.
I remember 1975 well. I was 12 years old and my father purchased a brand new, white 2 door Pinto Mpg with tan vinyl interior from S & C Ford in San Francisco. MSRP was $3995! Drove that car through high school.
I presume it was fairly well optioned at that price.
@Peter Evans Or any color.
They call it "vegan leather" now LOL.
I had a Pinro with the 2.0L engine in the early 80s, and drove most of those other vehicles shown, during my 70s teen years. The pinto was great on gas, and it was under $0.50 A gallon back then. This great videos brought back some great memories. Thanks
Thank you.
Had a 71 . Worked at a auto shop. Put a beefy cam, dual webers, and 4 into 1 header pipe. Then beefed up the clutch. At just under 2000 lbs this car screamed. I would love to have her now.
Cool. I know a number of people that hot rodded Pintos. Been awhile since I've seen one though.
I still have my book on How to Hotrod Your 2.0L OHC Ford, which I did. Those cars and engines were easy to work on with lots of aftermarket parts. Put on some wider tires and slotted wheels under those wide fenders and it looked pretty cool. But I still gotta give props to the Datsun 510 (which wasn't even mentioned).
@@rogerwilcojr The 510 was a bit more upmarket.
@@thehopelesscarguy MSRP in 1971 was $1990, so pretty close. Granted, 10 years later when I was buying one of each the Datsun was about twice the cost of a Pinto.
i had a 1972 pinto runabout hatchback (no trunk), 2 liter with c4 automatic and it was a great little car. i did the modifications needed to prevent the fuel tank from being punctured in a rear collision and always felt safe driving it, although it was not very good in the snow or on ice.. the rear end was a little light. but it was extremely reliable and always got 20-25mpg. eventually the engine wore out with over 300k miles on it, i couldn't find another 2 liter engine for it and didn't want to overhaul the old one so i sold it to a guy who wanted the front suspension for a street rod project. sometimes i wish i had held onto it, it was a simple basic car that was very easy to work on.
The simple, basic car, which they still made something like that.
How I remember from my childhood the days of Pintos (my older brother’s was baby blue), the Vega (one of my friend’s mom had an orange one), VW Bugs (Dad’s was red, brother’s was tan) & Gremlins (didn’t personally know any owners). Nice video.
Cool. Thanks.
In 1976, my mum bought a brand new Mercury Bobcat from her local dealership in Toronto. But this wasn't any ordinary Bobcat - it was a rare "sport" edition called the "Super Bobcat!!" Oh yeah! My mum's 1976 Mercury had earth shattering features like a V6 engine, race car steering wheel and a sun roof!! Actually, she drove that car until 1985. The only big issue she had with the Bobcat was shortly after she bought it - she was driving on the highway and the engine stalled while she was doing like 90km/hr! She had it towed back to the dealership and they said there was some defect with the carburetor, and it was still under warranty so they fixed it free of charge. After that, she never had any more problems with it. Finally, in late 1985 (when she found out she was pregnant with ME), she got rid of the Bobcat for a larger family sedan - and that larger sedan was.........the 1983 MERCURY ZEPHYR!!! ...with the inline straight 6!
I'm sure it seemed like an upgrade at the time, but in retrospect it probably wasn't. Still, I've seen worse trade ins. I had a neighbor that traded his '69 Daytona for a new Thunderbird Super Coupe in '89.
Wow, the Mercury version of the Fairmont. Too bad you were just a babe, or you could have hooked her up with Esslinger Engineering's straight six performance goodies. At least it was reliable. Lowest cranking amps needed to turn over that engine and you couldn't kill the straight sixes!
@@Jackalski57 Yes sir! And my grandfather (my dad's father), had the Ford Fairmont at the same time mum had the Zephyr. I remember the Fairmont was white with lime green pint stripes, the Zephyr was red with white pint stripes - both 4 door, and both with the straight 6. And I can tell you first hand, the Zephyr took a BEATING! That car went from Toronto to Newfoundland and back TWICE, back and forth a few times from Toronto to Quebec, all up north on rugged roads in northern Ontario in the cottage country, plus the regular daily commutes. She had the Mercury Zephyr from '86 - '97, but in it's last couple of years, she didn't run so well! By that time, it was all rusted and rotted out and it couldn't even make it to the end of the street without stalling... if my poor mother was even able to get it started!! I tell ya, my mum ran that Zephyr right into it's grave! But it was a good little car in it's time.
Your knowledge of American automotive history is truly apparent, and refreshingly informative. Keep it up, the youtube algorithm will catch up to your content quality!
You are too kind. Hopefully the videos are getting better as I go along.
Loved the Pinto and owned many different ones. Thanks for all the detailed sales information. I started out with a 72 Runabout with the 1.6 liter engine. Not a real goer. Our family soon added another 72 Runabout that was a 2 liter with a manual transmission. That one was a little rocket and eventually ended up in my brothers hands. I ended up putting a V8 in the first one which was involved in an accident that destroyed the body (fortunately no fire), which put me on a search for a new body. That led to 72 Station wagon with a blown motor, which was perfect for the V8 drive train removed from the wreck. I then purchased my first new car, a 78 Pinto sedan which had nearly every option except air. That was a V6 model. A few years later my then wife and I would purchase a 77 wagon, then we got another , a 78 Cruising Wagon. Had another 3 Pinto beaters that were used for just getting around that ended up in other folks hands. When you get used to servicing a specific vehicle and know the ins and outs it becomes easy to stick with it. They were easy to work on and fun to drive. However owning one now would be more nostalgic and difficult to maintain.
Some people say it is best to stick with what you know, which seems reasonable. And the Pinto could be quite the performer when done right. I wouldn't go out of my way to buy another Pinto but I wouldn't be against owning another one. And I do have a 5.0 Ford in my garage with no plans.
Yup.!. I’ve owned 3 pintos back in the 70’s and in the 90’s. which I turned them into low riders. 2 hatchback and a station wagon custom. 😎😇👍
Surprised I haven't seen more lowered Pintos.
I had two Pintos...a '73, non-hatchback, shocking purple, the small 1600 motor, slot mags, hooker header and twin weber carbs, Indy tires...a real nice running and looking car, the second a stock '77...both really good cars
Many people modified and raced them.
What I remember most about the 71 Pinto that I bought new was that it's lack of arm rest/door pulls caused me to replace a couple of latch handles that broke off because the driver's door had to be slammed to get it to latch properly (I could had adjusted the striker-duh). Also, it was extremely hard to start in the winter (should have installed an engine heater). What I liked about it was that it would cruise at 75 mph down the interstate on my daily 50 mile drive to work with no problem. Overall, I thought that it was OK and I liked its looks (a yellow hatchback, 2 liter automatic)
Pintos were not great cars, but neither were they terrible.
Unless you live in Alaska or Canada, it should have started fine with a proper tune up...
@@BuzzLOLOL Never under estimate the importance of proper maintenance.
@@BuzzLOLOL We often get to -20 F (or colder) at night here in the winter. My 63 Chev with a 283 2 barrel would start, the Pinto wouldn't.
@@Johnoines - Gets that cold here as well... our Pinto always started...
The 1977 & 1978 Ford Pintos had a front-end which looked rather sporty, and I really like the 3-door models from those years! Although the Ford Pinto was described as unsafe, it has been said that the models built from 1977 through 1980 are "safe".
The front styling from those years were better looking then the early ones for sure and I always thought the hatchback looked kinda like a AMX from certain angles. I knew a guy that rear ended a pinto in a Chevy pickup with saddle tanks and neither vehicle exploded and I've seen a Volvo catch fire in a collision so luck seems to play a big part in "safe".
Of the "thousands" that supposedly died in Pinto fires the NHTSA investigation revealed that 27 people actually died. Given the cars production numbers which was over 2 million, the Pinto was no more fire prone than any other car of the time and had a better rate than cars like the Datsun 1200 and the Toyota Corolla. The placement of the gas tank was commonplace at the time in many cars.
@@lvsqcsl Are you suggesting the media may have exaggerated things for a story?
@@thehopelesscarguy No. The media would never do that.
@@lvsqcsl Of course not.
Hey I just found your channel and I immediately liked and subbed.
Great memories of the pinto with my dad.
Thanks, that is awesome.
Wow, your coverage of this subject was very complete & well informed. This is the 1st episode I have seen on your channel, and I am a new sub. And including the Plymouth Cricket, and knowing it was the Hillman Avenger, really shows in-depth knowledge. If you should cover imports from before the 70's, there were even more, like the Ford Cortina, Simcas, Renaults, Opels at Buick dealerships, Fiat, etc.....
Thank you. I have mentioned the Buick Opels in a couple of videos. My experience with the Ford Cortina is limited to nearly giving myself whiplash seeing one driving around town. I find old Simcas interesting, but have never seen one in person.
It's amazing how much influence the pinto had! It's front suspension and steering would fuel a cottage industry for hot rods for decades (and still does) and the 4 cylinder engine would influence the Ranger pick up years later.
If nothing else, the Pinto is one 70s car even non-car people know.
I've owned two 1972 Pintos. First was a loaded brand new Runabout that I got as a hand me down from my parents. Loved that Pinto. After I sold my first 72 in 1981, I returned to the scene of the crime and bought another 72 Pinto in 1983. Drove it til 1990 when I sold it to the same person I sold my first Pinto to. I really miss my Pinto. My second Pinto also a Runabout was a strippo model. I put seats from a 1982 Mustang in it, which raised the seat level to a much better position, also giving me reclining seats as well. New carpeting with sound deadner made it a very quiet car. Painted it Dove Gray, a late seventies Ford color, This color has made come back on Fords, Kias, Hondas, Dodge and other cars using slightly different shades and names. So it would look fairly modern on the road today. Added a console from a Mustang II, newer door panels and a steering wheel from a1976 Mercury Cougar. My only regret was selling it. I have discovered that finding a four leaf clover is easier to find then a Pinto. Nit because it's a bad car, but back then they were considered a disposable car.
Wow, you really personalized it.
I just HAD to watch this video. My first car was a '74 Pinto 2-door.
I had 74 Pinto, this baby had the 1600cc with a 4 speed manual, a single barrel carburetor which put out an earth shattering 74 horsepower, a true gutless wonder!
Great gas mileage though. With today's speed limits on the interstates, I think it would be a bad idea for highway traffic.
@@captainkirk4514 Are you sure yours was a '74? If memory serves, the standard engine for that year was the 2.0L four (which my '74 had, along with the 4-speed).
I'll agree with you that these cars weren't suited for modern interstate speeds. On my trips between home (southern CA) and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, mine couldn't even crack 50 mph up the Grapevine - and that required dropping into third.
I think most 4 cylinder cars of the period only passed as highway cars thanks to the double nickel, and then only on a flat surface.
I do believe '73 was the last model year with the 1.6 but in those days many states registered vehicles by sale date instead of model year which has created many arguments over the years over what is what.
@@thehopelesscarguy Yes, that is true, but the car was produced at the beginning of the 1974 model year, sometimes manufacturers will use leftover engines and transmissions from the previous model year that are no longer in production to get rid of them, so essentially, my Pinto was a 74, but the engine and transmission were from the 73 model year.
Very interesting content, just finished to go through your history videos.
Thanks and best of luck with the algorithm!
Thank you. I started the channel mostly out of boredom but it seems to be becoming a thing.
I help build those cars and the Mercury Bobcats at Ford's assembly plant in New Jersey. (Metuchen)
That's cool.
Like what years im curious because im trying to find info on a small batch of mercury Bobcats that had a unique blue that was only on 424 of them in 1980 the last model year for the car. You remember anything on them like the color description or at least a place too find a add campaign they had for it so i can figure out the color name anything like that would be huge for me
@@brendanliamgill99 I'm afraid I wouldn't have anything like that, sorry.
@@brendanliamgill99 ....There was a decal inside the drivers side door jam that had the color code for that cars color. I sure wish I can help you more but I worked on the main line(finish line), we had to read manifests that corresponded to the car number. Every day the number begins with 1 and ended with something like 490 or 500. That's how many cars that the shift put out for the day. Maybe someone who worked in the paint shop or the body shop will see and read this message and can help you better than I can and provide you some better information.........Good luck.
@@brendanliamgill99 ........Hello, it's me again. I was thinking and for that year I remember they made a run of Pintos for that year of approximately 5000 cars for the U.S. Postal service that had a special color to them. Maybe you have one of them or are you sure it's a Mercury Bobcat.
My first car was a 1972 Pinto with the 2 liter motor, automatic. A bunch of little things went wrong with it, but I loved it. It was quick, would lay rubber and handled well. Wish I still had it. My brother drove a 64 Beetle. I drove his car from time to time. When I got back in my Pinto, it felt like I was driving a Cadillac.
Perhaps a slight exaggeration, but understandable.
My parents' '74 Pinto wagon was my first favorite car. To this day, I'm a Ford man in part because of it. Looking back now, the Pinto was at least remarkable in the fact that it was for sale in the mid '70s, and it wasn't super ugly. You name just about any car from that time... fugly.
I like 70s styling. Let me rephrase. I like some 70s styling.
The 2 liter Pinto engine was one of the easiest engines I've ever had to work on. The cast iron block was practically indestructible, and most everything on the engine was accessible. The down side was, its reliability was such that I had to work on it much too often.
When my job was transferred from California to Tucson in '93, I had a '73 Pinto Runabout that had been resurrected from sitting in a yard for years. It had the vinyl roof that was dry-rotting away, and I restored it to running condition with an assortment of junkyard parts (including seatbelts from a Honda, because I absolutely hated the shoulder harness buckles the Pintos came with at that time). We dubbed it "Frankenstein's Pinto," and that car made the drive between Tucson and the Hesperia area of California almost every weekend for some eight months. Some of the looks I received from other drivers on I-10 were hilarious.
Imagine the looks you would get now.
My mom had a lemon yellow Pinto n the mid 1970s. I miss those days. I miss my mom.
Oh, I'm sorry.
Informative documentary on this icon of the '70s! My family had owned Datsuns, from the early-1960s to the late-'70s; the early ones were small and narrow, until the 510 came out (we had three of these). They seemed pretty reliable, but tended to eat water pumps...We also had a used 1972 Vega "Kammback" for 3-1/2 years; it was burning oil copiously, even at 60K miles, and the rust around the windshield frame let water into the front footwells. Fortunately, since it was a silver example, duct tape sealed up the rust holes quite nicely, and it matched the paint! I knew two college students who each had moss-green 1974 Pintos; seemed to be reliable transportation for them.
In the 60s & 70s Datsun did a better job of appealing to Americans than other Japanese brands.
@@thehopelesscarguy Yep; my Grand-dad had one of the earliest Datsun dealerships on the East Coast, in Washington, D.C. (where I grew up)...some of the old Datsun slogans I recall were "Drive a Datsun, Then Decide", and "Datsun Saves" (ca. the oil embargo of 1973-74).
@@craigmclean8260 The "Datsun Saves" ones were huge. It is the Salvador Dali ads that stick out in my mind.
myself and my co-workers (ironically worked at a gas station) witnessed a rear ended Pinto fire. We ran with fire extinguishers, nothing could be done, the Pinto and it's occupants were fully engulfed. The scene haunted us, even to this day, I sometimes think of the horror.
I have seen more than my share of horrific crashes. Some have been more gruesome than can ever be described in words, but the hardest to see is people trapped and panicking.
@@thehopelesscarguy I still see their silhouette, helplessly trapped.
@@duaneivey6090 I'm sorry to hear that.
Was this in Winamac Indiana? The famous trial was held there after young woman was killed when rear-ended, setting it on fire.
@@robynperdieu3434 no, windsor ont. canada
The Pinto was a real show stopper... Driving about in the station wagon model with the simulated wood grain was not just about being king of the road, or impressing the ladies... you could cram all of your friends in there and head out to a Meatloaf Concert... or a fish fry... I miss these bad ass Fords...
Oh I'm sure there isn't much that impresses the ladies like a subcompact wagon with fake wood grain panels.
Exam week in college wouldn't have been the same without stuffing as many people in my Pinto Wagon as possible and making a 1am run to the diner for greaseburgers.
@@thehopelesscarguy Some dude wrote a song called "Rolling in my Pinto", if memory serves...it's funny.
@@Jackalski57 I will have to look for that.
@@fatalbert6220 Sounds like you got a few stories on that trip... Any Lynyrd Skynyrd Concert around that time would have been a once in a lifetime experience for most folks... If you like Gibson Guitars like I like Gibson Guitars, Lynyrd Skynyrd had it all... And you were riding the future, Tesla won't admit it, but anyone can see that the Tesla Model 3 looks like the Pinto...
I never owned a Pinto, I did own two Volkswagen Jetta’s though. I miss my Dodge Challenger RT💔
I think a Jetta or two might make me miss a Challenger R/T as well.
now that is a car to miss ! most people don't really miss selling a Pinto ! I had a v8 vega and had fun but I used it and got rid of it , don't miss it I used it for all it was worth , the car I miss is my first car , a 1967 firebird ! I restored it in the 80's then sold it ( like a dummy ) then saw it two weeks later TOTALLED ! I just about cried , took me two years to restore it ! I miss that car !
@@fieldinglover That is heartbreaking.
The Pinto was a great economical car and not really anymore dangerous in a crash than comparable cars of the time. Deaths per mile driven were actually slightly lower than other models.
Exactly
Drove the living hell out of a Pinto while Army recruiting. Thousands upon thousands of miles. Insane mileage. Owned 3 Vegas too
I think Pintos were often driven to death, but that was kind of the point of them. It wasn't the car you kept in the garage with low miles, you used it.
That must have been some tough recruiting, ( Hey look! If you join the army then you can drive a Pinto too!”.)
The 2.8 liter V6 was first offered in the Pinto in 1975, I bought one brand new that year. It did reduce gas mileage, but allowed it to accelerate to highway speeds and cruise effortlessly. The mileage was still better than larger, heavier cars of the time. The seats were improved as of 1974, you no longer felt like you were sitting on the ground. You are right, they were not great cars, but they were "less bad" than a lot of their competition. People joke about the Pinto, but I was very proud to buy a brand new car with my own money at the age of sixteen. I still think that a V6 Pinto was the best new car choice that I could have made within my budget at that time. Good video.
Thanks. I can't imagine a very high percent sold with the V-6 as I have been around lots of Pintos and never seen one, and I've seen at least a dozen with V-8s swapped in them.
@@thehopelesscarguy The brochures of the time said that the V6 was only available in the Runabout (hatchback) or wagon, but it was not accurate. Mine was a two door sedan. Over the years I've seen two other 75 sedans with factory V6s, a couple of wagons, and one runabout. They are rare. It really was a cool car for a teenager.
@@michaellowe17 It was the mid-70s when they started restricting special orders for dealers, before that the factory would do almost anything you asked for.
That 2.8 V-6 was available from 1975-79. Except for 1980? the Pinto was available with 2 engines. 1980 the 2.3 liter was the only engine.
The Pinto is said to be such a terrible car yet over 3 million were made.
I suppose it is all a question of what you are comparing it to.
That is just not true.
7:49 My mom had a 1976 Pinto Wagon just like that except it was yellow. I miss that little car. It got us back and forth from New Mexico to Florida to visit my paternal grandmother many times without a single hickup. I wish I could find one today.
I myself used to own a Mercury Bobcat but the engine blew, (Not quality fault, previous owner just never took care of it.) When I went to rebuild the engine, every piston had the piston skirts broken.
They are getting harder to find and although they are out there, most have been abused.
The Pinto? I remember seeing more Mavericks on the road where I grew up! I didn't get why the Maverick was so popular. The thing was shaped like a "duck" on wheels!
I know how we ended up the the Maverick as a Falcon replacement, but it sure seemed like a downgrade to me.
@@thehopelesscarguy People told themselves the Maverick was a coupé and that's was make you look sporty and young. Well, it looked ways better than a 2-door three box sedan.
All I could ever figure with the Maverick is, the person wanted a Mustang but not stylish. Why it existed baffles me.
@@jn1mrgn I think the Maverick was a way to replace the Falcon with something with less direct market crossover with the Mustang.
@@thehopelesscarguy The first generation Falcon was the most perfect car ever made. Never was any need to replace it.
We had several including a Bobcat. None of the ever caught fire. One of them burned oil so fast that we would "fill the oil and check the gas". It never failed to start, unlike other makes that we had.
Ah, one of those.
I knew someone who had a 1976 Rabbit that rusted to scrap before she had it paid off.
In some parts of the country that was considered normal.
@@thehopelesscarguy I live in the rust belt, not too many late 70s/early 80s cars lasted too long.
@@luvr381 I just got back from the Oregon coast and saw several 90's cars that were not surviving so well.
Now that's funny 😊!!
Holy moly my friend you know your stuff and deliver it well. A little bit of investment in the some Hd camera and stuff like that and this channel is gonna fly off like a rocket. Keep up the good work!!!
Thanks, it is always a work in progress.
I'll take the Gremlin 😀
It certainly had a personality.
Would love to have a Gremlin X to tool around town in
@@jamessimms415 Levi's Edition.
The Gremlin was actually was a 96 inch wheelbase version of the AMC Hornet. They were a bit bigger and had a V-8 engine available on some years.
I had a 1972 with a vinyl roof in a cream color. It was outstanding- drove 230k miles with no motor problems and sold it on.
Not uncommon I think.
Just found your channel, huge fan already. Can’t wait to see it blow up.
Thank you, very kind.
Picked up a '70 Yellow 2 door in October of that year about a month after introduction. My 1st new car & I bought it for my 20th birthday. Drove it from Los Angeles to Vancouver BC without a care, put a cassette deck in the glove box, got great gas mileage for the day and cornered pretty well for those narrow little tires. Traded it in on a new '75 Civic. Wished I hadn't done that then and feel pretty much the same way now. Fine little car.
I don't remember every driving mine in the snow, but light rear-wheel-drive with skinny tires isn't a recommended winter combination. Many were sacrificed for street rods.
I have fond memories of my mothers 72 Pinto wagon. It was a good car but not a great car. Much better than a Vega. But when I bought my own first car at the same time I compared the Pinto, Vega, and a Toyota Corona. I bought the Toyota because it was far better equipped than the others, made much better, quicker, and quieter. Its one failure was the handling that was easily taken care of by replacing the skinny 5.60-13 inch bias ply tires with a good set of 175-13 Radial tires, wider wheels from a Corvair, and a good set of shocks. The handling improvement was dramatic and I embarrassed more than a few sporty cars and out and out sports cars. To my amazement, the steering which was heavy with the OEM tires, became remarkably light with the wider radial tires. I have owned Toyota's many times over the years and have yet to be disappointed.
My own experiences with Toyota have been less fortunate.
My mom had a Pinto Runabout. Brown. It was a great car. Great video!
Thanks.
1977 Pinto with an 8 track and a crank sunroof was my first new car! I was so proud of it. The Ford of England derived 2300 motor proved very reliable. I drove it for ten years and handed it off to my brother and he drove it for several more years. It squeaked and rattled and clunked but it always ran. Mileage wasn't bad as it was a manual stick. I use to drift it even. Vega's were overheating all around the reliable Pinto.
My grandfather always said you could tell a Ford by the squeaks, but I think he was referring to much older cars.
I think that 2.3 liter engine was used in the Thunderbird Turbo Coupe and until 1997 in the Ranger?
The 2.0L & 2.3L OHC was of German design, compared to the 1.6L OHV, which was English designed.
My mother had one. It was my grandfather’s car and my parents bought it from my grandmother on my father’s side of family. It was a brown one with tan interior. It was a 2 door coupe or hatchback. I remembered climbing all the way back in the car with my sister. Luckily my mother never been in an accident in it.
I think nearly as many were destroyed demonstrating their flaw as were in actual accidents.
I had a 72 Pinto back in 1990 it was a terrific,stable,and reliable car,never had a single problem with it.
That is nice to hear.
I recently subscribed to your channel. I like the vids a lot!
Thank you very much
Great video, I appreciate the context regarding the other cars in the segment it really helps to put in perspective how many were sold footage is great too
Thanks, I was trying to be unbiased.
Good video, thanks. Do you have the actual number of fatalities from tank fires? I can't find an accurate count.
I have heard numbers as high as 50 or slightly higher with burn injures closer to 200 but I believe the number stated in the lawsuit against Ford stated 27.
@@thehopelesscarguy Thank you for the information.
@@lunaticfringe8066 You are very welcome.
I bought a brand new '72 Pinto Runabout. LOVED that car, the only one I ever had that I wish I still had. It was a great car! Looked good, totally dependable, fun to drive, extremely economical. Comfortable ride, considering it's size. I drove it cross-country several times. I liked it so much, I later bought a used 1980 Pinto wagon - it was also a fantastic car, though I much preferred the looks of the original.
I wouldn't say I "loved" mine, but I enjoyed it.
Great video, I forgot about many of those cars! I learned to drive on my mom's 72 pinto, olive green, shag carpet. My first car was a Datsun 610, then saved up and got a Datsun 280ZX w/ t-tops (I think I saw both pics). I still remember which cars all my high school friends had.
To be fair, many of those cars are forgettable. Not a lot of people get passionate about subcompacts, but there are a few, and many of us grew up around them.
Enjoyed your content. I bought a new Pinto in 1974 when I went into the service. I think I payed $1800 for it, new. I put 30K miles on it in a year and had to pull the transmission and put a clutch in it because I just had to try and burn rubber all the time in it! Interestingly enough, I used to drive 400 miles home some weekends during the gas shortage when you couldn't buy gas on Sundays (all stations were closed). Guess what I did? Carried a 5 gallon gas tank in the back seat full of gas so I would have enough gas to get back to the military base on Sunday nights. Guess the Good Lord was watching out for me!
It is nice when things work out.
My mother had a 1972 Pinto hatchback, yellow with black interior. My sister took that car to college. By the time I took driver training in 1976 I trained in the Datsun B-210, which I loved. I borrowed the Pinto to take my driving test.
I loved both cars, they were easy to drive. Plus, I was only 5’3” but could see easily out of both cars. I fell in love with the Toyota? Versa Note after renting one a few years ago, but they were hard to find. It was the only car that fit me in the same way the two 1970s car did. Eventually I bought a 2017 Ford Fiesta which is not as comfy or view-friendly as the other three, but I really like it.
Except for my brief foray toward the Versa Note, I’ve been a Ford gal all my life, thanks to that sunny yellow Pinto. But I didn’t know about the gas tank problem until many years later.
Few modern cars are view friendly. With cameras replacing all the mirrors perhaps the wind screen should be replaced by a view screen.
Sounds like what you need is one of those big old cars with the power seat that goes up forever and the tilt/telescopic steering.
My parents had a blue Mercury Bobcat,my mom picked up my friend and I from school one day and reverse did not work.She drove forward across the lawn.I believe early on it leaked oil.The driveway could verify that.It was an automatic and hatchback.
Automatic?
Yes
I had a 1974 Pinto - Great Car!
Very polarizing for sure.
I have a 71 Pinto. Number 628 of the first ones built. 75850 actual miles.
Do you know if there are any earlier ones still on the road?
@@thehopelesscarguy Thousands of them. Check out some of the Pinto groups on Facebook. Ford Pinto&Mercury Bobcat for sale is a good one.
I enjoyed this video. Nice going.
It might also be pointed out that the Ford Mustang II was really a Pinto II. If might be worth combining the production totals of the two together for a true measure of the cars importance in the 1970s.
You make a good point - it is hard to remember that their weren't many really good small cars back then. The Rabbit/Golf was conceptually a good idea but not well executed. I think the Plymouth, Horizon was the first decent small car to come out of an American factory. I had a Plymouth Horizon, it was a good (enough) car - and one of the few acceptable small cars from a functional stand point. It had 4 doors, and enough room for passengers in the back. My brother had a Ford Fiesta - that car was a blast to drive. My parents had a mid-80s 2 door Honda Civic, and that too was a blast to drive - but it I remember correctly, it had an interference engine and the timing belt broke for whatever reason, and the car turned out to be a a disaster. Later I had a 1988 Honda CRX-HF and that was, by far and away, the best car I have ever owned. Its styling still looks contemporary and its more than 30 years old now.
Thanks.
Well, yes the Mustang II was Pinto based, but in the same way the original Mustang was Falcon based and the "Fox body" Mustang 3 shared its platform with the Fairmont, and nearly every RWD Ford around 1980 (except the Panther platform LTD).
By the late 70's the subcompact market was much different and even smaller. The Rabbit, the Chevette, the Omni/Horizon, the Datsun F-10. While the Corolla and 210 had grown to more Pinto like proportions. But, was Mazdas GLC really a "Good Little Car"?
I know someone that still has their early CRX and still uses it as a daily driver. Unfortunately the original alloy wheels started to show stress cracks and the cheap alloys on it now don't do it justice.
Our first car was a 1976 Pinto Squire wagon. We bought it 1 year old from a friend, a Ford service manager who had factory ordered it new. We kept it 18 years until it as stolen(!) and never recovered. 1976 was arguably the best model year, with a whopping 88 horsepower. The rear hatch opening of 48.5" allowed us to carry plywood and drywall, hanging either over the rear bumper and using bungie cords to tie down the hatch. Worked great! Our only scary moment came when the timing belt snapped at 40K miles, at night in the rain on the freeway, of course, with my wife driving and with me on the opposite coast on a business trip. Non-interference engine, $35 repair (1980 dollars). Those were the days. :)
Rear seat accommodations were dreadful, but adequate for smallish people.
We subsequently bought a new 1988 Dodge Aries K wagon, which was a considerable upgrade in many ways, and which shared the Pinto's endearing >48" rear hatch opening. That car lasted 22 years through two subsequent owners, until some idiot snagged the front bumper and pulled the whole front end off the car. It was repairable and still driveable, but my friend couldn't get the headlights to align to DMV's satisfaction, so he donated it to charity.
Wow, and wow again.
@@thehopelesscarguy I had fun when the Pinto got stolen from a local park-and-ride lot. I had bought a new 1989 Dodge Spirit a couple of years earlier, and I drove my carpool buddies in it.
1) When the Sheriff came by to take my theft report, he made me put down $200 for the value, even though I told him $100, because of the cracked windscreen, peeling paint, leaky steering rack, and passenger door that would not close all the way because of a rear-end collision.
2) Since we all used park-and-ride lots, I mentioned the car theft to one of my buddies, letting him assume the Spirt had been stolen. When I finally stopped leading him on and told him the Pinto had been stolen, he was in total shock.
I strongly suspect and hope that the Pinto was driven into Mexico, because my worst fear was that it would be recovered and I would be stuck with impound fees exceeding its vanishingly small value. When I was on jury duty a couple of years later, fully 1/3 of the prospective jury panelists said that they had been victims of car theft, which was rampant in San Diego County in the 1980s-1990s.
@@johne6081 I have had to deal with impound fees exceeding the value of the vehicle, not fun.
Wow, 1/3. I didn't drive when I was stationed in San Diego (personal vehicles that is), that seems like a wise choice now.
After learning to drive in a Maverick, my first owned three cars were Pintos (1979 - 1986).. The best was a wagon that took my family everywhere and a hatchback V6 that had quite the power for such a light car. I loved them but in the late 80's had to move on to newer models. It is sad that all that can be remembered now is the stupid gas tank.
Often by those that were not there.
Great video on the historical Pinto! I remember Sabrina Duncan drove an orange one on Charlie’s Angels. My first car was a ‘78 Mustang II Ghia in that same orange. Everyone in high school thought it was a Pinto so I pained it black.
I once put a bunch of Mustang II trim on a Pinto wagon.
@@thehopelesscarguy My aunt also had a brown Pinto wagon, I believe with plaid seats. I was around 10. She was one of the first LAPD female sheriffs and she’d drive that POS around with a stick shift cursing like a truck driver.
@@marcopolo-xj4yw I understand.
Interesting video. You touched on all the major econoboxes of the 70s.
Thanks, I try.
I loved my Pinto. I had a 1973 Ford Pinto Runabout. Monster Green with a white vinyl top and wide BF Goodrich tires. It was one awesome looking little car.
That is an unusual combination.
@@thehopelesscarguy She was a beaut!
I had a 73 Pinto wagon in Ginger Metallic. I did the research and put the widest tires that would fit correctly on the stock steel rims, which were 195/70/13 BF Goodrich Radial TAs, if I remember correctly. I may even have the receipt from back then, lol. Combined with the standard rack and pinion steering, which I don't remember being touched on in the video, by the way, it handled beautifully!
I had a ‘72 Pinto, & loved it. I worked with a girl who traded her VW in for a Gremlin cause her boyfriend said it was a much better car than the Pinto. After about 6 mos. she got rid of her Gremlin as she had a lot of problems with it. She ended up with some used car. I felt bad for her...
The Gremlin had its . . . gremlins.
Why no mention of the Pontiac Astre, a Chevy Vega with Pontiac badging?
I mentioned it in my 70's video and could have at least mentioned it here, but I thought it was a bit redundant.
I adored my little red 1977 Ford Pinto. I drove it until 1980 without any problem at all. I still miss it. ❤
That's nice to hear.
Although this was a very good video, the one (1) error you made came at 3:21, where you stated that the 2.0 litre (122 cid) in-line four cylinder engine had a 'ten year run.' That motor was offered in the Pinto from 1971-1974. In its last year, the now legendary 2.3 litre (140 cid) in-line four became the top engine choice; replacing the 2.0 altogether in 1975. Then at mid-year, the 2.8 litre (170 cid) V6 from the Mercury Capri would become the top engine choice, but the 2.3 would gain a turbo and would be fitted in the 1983-1986 Ford Thunderbird/Mercury Cougar XR-7 coupes. Otherwise, great video! 📹!
🐰
Thanks
Indeed, I was looking for this comment, figuring someone else would have made it. The 2.3L OHC is based off the German designed 2.0L OHC, but both the bore and stroke were increased a bit. They had the same firing order and direction of rotation of the distributer, which was opposite that of the 1.6L Kent OHV engine. The 2.3L gained hydraulic lifters. When I adjusted the valves on my 73 at 75,000 or so miles, I found the cam lobes were very smoothly polished, partly because the 2.0L had an oil distribution pipe that sprayed oil from above onto the cam. That was lacking in the 2.3L. They both also used the Holley/Weber 5200 2bbl carb. Funny thing is that the distributer cap on the 2.0 and I think the 2.3 was the same as that of the Beetle, as they both shared Bosch ignition systems. Well, distributors anyway.
how many are left
I have no idea.
@@thehopelesscarguy sew one 2 yrs ago along someones driveway 1975 - 76 saw the unleaded fuel only decal by the original gas cap
@@youtubecarspottersguide1 I wonder if they remanufacture those stickers.
i had a 1971 ford pinto, the first year of production. with a low production number. i purchased it used in 1989 for $400.00, and it was in excellent condition. i must say it was a very reliable car as long as you know how to work on cars, just general maintenance. i sold it in 2012 for $1,250. there are a lot of vehicles that also explode if you hit them in the correct area. but you dont hear about them. like with any other vehicle, if you do not maintain them they will fail.
I turned a profit on both my Pintos as well.
Maintenance is key, something manufacturers seem to be forgetting, increasingly creating a need for specialized tools for even simple repairs.
At one time we had 3 Pintos and a Mustang 2 at the same time. The first was a 74 that Dad bought in 12/73. This was my car. Being a hatchback with a 4 speed manual it was a daily driver I could use to haul all kinds of stuff in it like a truck. I eventually moved on to a Datsun 240Z and gave the Pinto back to Dad who put 140k miles on it. He sold it for $300 less than he paid for it. It was a great little car for it's time and great value
Lots of advantages to sticking to a platform.
One thing I remember about the pinto,I liked it more than the vega.
That seemed to be the general opinion.
I have owned 3 of them. A 71 1.6l hatch, with a manual sunroof, a 74 squire wagon 2.0 auto, and a 75 wagon 2.3 4 speed. All had their issues, but always got me from A to B without ever leaving me stranded.
Seem they kept drawing you back.
They were cheap, and available for sale by neighbors!
Really nice video Liked the trip down memory lane I enjoyed that thanks
Very kind, thank you.
My aunt had a 73 pinto squire wagon. Green. My uncle had a 73 Ranchero Squire. Same green.
I knew a guy that had a green 73 Ranchero that had been converted to 4-wheel-drive. It had a canopy and oversized trailer mirrors.
My first car was a 1976 Ford Pinto, cost me $400 in 1985. I did my own oil changes and tune ups.. It was a great car. Rear Wheel Drive. Manual Transmission. A wonderful combination for an engaging drive versus front wheel drive with an automatic. Had a hatchback, which for some reason Americans do not like, which offered awesome storage space. I drove it from SF to LA every two weeks for a year. Never broke down. Got over 30 mpg. I rolled it in the desert wearing just a lap belt (no shoulder belt in the car). The car did not explode nor catch fire. I was taken to a hospital and examined and walked out with just a pulled muscle. Car had rolled end over end twice and over sideways once. I went out and bought another Pinto for $425. For the time period, it was a great car, you just needed to look underneath it to make sure the fix was done by the recall. Now a 9 year old car cost $4000 not $400.
It is a myth that Americans don't like hatchbacks. Americans love hatchbacks, just not ugly ones, like the late 70's Cutlass.
10:23 What were they thinking? The side windows look like something improvised from parts salaveged from junkyard wrecks.
So you don't like the side windows?
I bought a new pinto in 1979. By then all the pet problems were worked through. I remember it was $3439; had no radio, and no one stocked the template to install a DIN radio. Even with a four-speed, it was among slowest off-the-line car in production. It was easy to keep fixed though, and usually got around 24 MPG.
Years later I had that same model engine in 1994 Ranger. Fuel injection helped the engine last a lot longer, but it was still a dog power-wise. Like the pinto, I needed a running start to get up the driveway and some other hills. That was a long run for the 2.3 engine, as ford-mazda chose not to redesign the Ranger through year 2011. I understand the 2.3 was dropped around 1997
If it aint broke . . .
Looking back, the first model with the 1.6 liter Kent engine and a 4 speed would have been the ideal Pinto. That engine was very reliable and not having an automatic was essential!
Not having an automatic is essential in many cars, particularly small ones.
I had that pinto. 71 with Kent. Great little car !
That 1.6L Kent engine was the base for one of the Cosworths. The BDA, IF I remember correctly. I still have some of my Pinto manuals, though I think I got rid of my factory manuals back in the early 2000's.
@@Jackalski57 That's too bad.
In 87 I bought a 73 hatchback with 26,000 miles on it. 2.0 4 speed. It had the shielded fuel tank. I loved it.
Nice.
The Pinto was a great little car.
Edit: There's a reason other than the three you mentioned, and I think was the most important, that made the Pinto more susceptible to rear end collisions. The Pinto had the shortest stopping distance of most production cars, and the shortest of any production car in one year (including the Porsche 911). The fact that no car behind the Pinto could stop as fast made the Pinto more likely to be rear-ended than the others in its class.
Three second rule?
@@thehopelesscarguy
Lol, as if anyone knows what that is anymore. Come to think of it, inexpensive cars are generally piloted by less than average drivers who are more likely to panic stop. Beginning to make perfect sense.
@@20alphabet Agreed.
Good video with valid information. Just need to get a better microphone/sound recording set up.
Just ordered one.
Part of the recall was a vented gas cap, for a while the "tell" that a pre-'76 Pinto had the recall work done or not is that the originals had been painted body color, the recall replacements were chrome.
That's an interesting factoid.
Could you tell me whether or not it is true that the mustang too and the pinto were primarily exactly the same car just different skin
They were not exactly the same car. They shared a basic platform and therefore many mechanical parts. The biggest engines in the later Pintos were the smaller engines in the Mustang II. Just as the original Mustang shared its platform with the Falcon and the third generation Mustang shared its platform with the Fairmont.
My 72 Pinto (1600cc 4-speed) had the metal shielded gas tank that kept it from being ruptured by the rear diff & axle. We enjoyed our Pinto.
I also had a 72 Gremlin badged as the P-38 not the "X" model with the 304ci V8 with 3 speed stick shift, it even had air-conditioning! It was fun to drive around the Arizona mountains.
Nice